Finding Fulfillment through Your Values

Life is busy. We’re running from one place to the other. We pride ourselves for being able to keep up as if busyness is a badge of honor. Or at least we present it that way.

We give ourselves to the work that we find ourselves doing but don’t necessarily want to be doing. We abide by the things that call for our attention. We rarely say no for the sake of hurting someone’s feelings.

Is this what life is, busy? Does this provide fulfillment?

When you look at your day, is it the day you envisioned yourself living?

Annie Dillard remarks, “how you spend your day, is of course, how you spend your life.” Tweet this

When I set out to rediscovering my true self, my day was exactly this—busy. Running from one thing to the next. It’s not that it doesn’t sometimes feel that way now, but since establishing a foundation of self-care I look to my inner world for direction to help mold my outer world.

Operating through your inner self forms centeredness. Meaning, your values begin to take shape and become more apparent.

The fog seemed to lift around the things that I cherish most. You see, taking care of yourself first guides you towards the things or people you value most.

This is where you can begin to say “no”.

As you become clear on what makes you tick and what’s part of your DNA, outward measures of what we think are success or fulfillment become stagnant. They stop in their tracks.

Life begins to live through you versus it living through your outer world. In fact, there’s no connection between your inner world and outer world when life starts with the outer.

It’s not about what fills your pockets or closets, but what fills your heart and soul. Tweet this

When you’re clear on what you value you can shape your days based on this foundation. Saying “no” to anything that doesn’t directly correlate to what you value and saying “yes” to the things that do.

When you let life in and allow it to live this way, fulfillment begins to show its face and almost becomes unrecognizable. As if it’s a feeling felt for the first time. Your days become effortless, or what appears to be effortless because of the lack of friction between your being and your doing.

As much intentional effort each day really takes, it seems effortless because of the joy and the abundance your values are providing you.

When what you do mimics that of your true being, fulfillment ensues. The important thing to keep in mind is that fulfillment isn’t something that is obtained when crossing a finish line. Fulfillment is about living a life that you are meant to live. It’s ongoing.

But why do we do the opposite?

It’s funny though, why do we push off the very thing that we want more than anything? Why do we say “yes” to the things that make us become the person we are not, or who we don’t want to become? Why do we abide by the busyness of life, the life that we’ve created, by chasing the next thing?

Of course, it’s harder said than done. But living a life through intentional actions toward self growth opens the door to your most inner and truest self. Up until that point, dust collects, waiting.

Take time to reflect on your day. Think about all of the choices you’ve made, the “yes'” and “I will do’s”. Do they reflect the things that you actually want to be doing?

When you live your life by saying “yes” to the things that connect with your truth and values, you are giving yourself to something much larger than just you. If not, you are doing a disservice to yourself and to the world.

Your values will lead you to a fulfilling life. One with purpose, meaning and service to others. Tweet this

This is something I am aware of daily. Though, I do find myself becoming numb to my true self and abiding by the things that pull me away from what I value most. It’s even during those moments, when I am with the things and people I value, that I feel myself being tugged away. Presence is not present.

As you lead a life of intentionality, your mindfulness muscle strengthens and the gap between stimulus and response widens. It’s here that you become aware of that tug, the one that takes you away from the present moment and your values. It’s here where you can recognize the ego’s intention and stop it in its track.

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6 Comments

Love this but I have a suggestion. Stop telling me to tweet this or tweet that. It clutters up your blog, assumes that I can’t decide for myself, and isn’t exactly “minimalist.” When looking for intentionality in my life, I don’t exactly go around tweeting all day. Thanks!

Thank you again for this post! It is so important to “live” what matches my values and really important things in life. Your posts continually give me a little more added strength to follow my heart, instead of following what others think I should be doing.

Intentionality. It’s indeed a struggle. People are bombarded with the demands of daily life. We should train ourselves to tap into our inner core all the time and hope it leads us to where we want to go. Discovery requires experience.